Off-Screen System (Redesign)
__NOEDITSECTION__ Introduction= __NOEDITSECTION__ Requiem for Kingsmouth differentiates between two levels of gameplay: * Off-screen: When your actions are represented by naked dicerolls, without any RP, such as when you call on your Allies or deal with your Territory * On-screen / RP-level: This is where the RP happens. At times, you may zoom from off-screen to on-screen, putting you back down on the street and in your character's shoes, for example to deal with a territory problem The off-screen system consists of six interwoven modules: * Downtime: A resource that is required to do off-screen actions * Assets: Systems to grow, attack and defend assets like Retainers (but also PCs!) * Feeding: Off-screen system to get blood * Allies: 14 areas of influence and how to use them to your benefit * Influence (Hardcore only): An advantage that benefits certain off-screen actions * Territory (Hardcore only): How to acquire, defend and manipulate turf This page only elaborates on the things that are true for the off-screen system in general. If you want to learn more about the specific modules, follow the links above. Please keep in mind that this is a beta version of the off-screen system. Any concerns or notes you may have are welcomed. We'll try to preserve a sense of verisimilitude and fairness, while making just about every skill useful at some point in the system. |-|Actions= __NOEDITSECTION__ - Exposure= __NOEDITSECTION__ Some off-screen actions involve the risk of being seen. Failing to meet the exposure threshold for an action means that word gets around about the action. You can try to cover it up afterward, but you'd best be quick about it. The exposure threshold can be one of three levels. For each off-screen action, the threshold is given by "Dicepool (Exposure)". * Low Exposure requires 1 success to not be seen. * Moderate Exposure requires 2 successes. * High Exposure requires 3 successes. - Investigate actions= __NOEDITSECTION__ A new crisis has arisen in your territory and you want to know what caused it. Someone has been poking into your affairs and you want to know who. One of your retainers was just shot in the street and you need to know if it was a random act of violence, or a calculated hit from another Kindred. Every three successes on the investigation allows you to ask the ST one question. 'Was this the result of an exploit?' 'Did Debonair Rival do this?' 'Is this from a supernatural creature I know about?' 'Who was here when this place burned down?' are all valid questions. Your dice-pool is modified by the area awareness, and by the atmosphere of the area, and loses one die per day after the fact. 'Investigate' (( Protean needs confirmation )) : Action: Resisted (Streetwise or Stealth) and Extended : Time: Investigation costs 1 hour to begin, and takes 2 hours per die roll, time paid in advance : Dicepool: ::Wits + Investigation + (half Protean) (Low) ::Wits + Empathy (Moderate) ::Wits + Streetwise (High) ::Wits + Politics + (half Protean)(High) ::Always add your dots in Auspex : Command: +request Investigation (thing)= : Primacy: No : Teamwork: No - Cover up actions= __NOEDITSECTION__ You can send assets to clean up your mess, or you can do it yourself. The cover-up causes investigating the action to become contested. 'Cover up' : Action: Simple/Contested : Time: 7 hours per specific action. : Dicepool: ::Manipulation + Subterfuge (Moderate) ::Wits + Streetwise + (half Protean) + (Celerity, if it is your own action) (Low) ::You may add your dots in Nightmare and your dots in the Alternate Identity Merit : Primacy: No : Teamwork: Yes }} |-| Off-screen Monday= __NOEDITSECTION__ The Off-Screen System is intended to have refreshes on the first of the month and the Monday of each week. This is intended to create a gap between beat-Fridays and downtime-Mondays, so the storytelling staff can handle the influx of work more readily. Actions will NOT BE PROCESSED on Mondays! The following Tuesday the actions will be resolved in order, and conflicting actions will take into account the time necessary to implement them. Thus if you want to start the defense for your week, you can renew it on Monday, with no fear of the overlap from the previous week elapsing. Note that there is no time drag on defense actions! This is intended. |-|Terminology = __NOEDITSECTION__ Assets: Retainer, Ally, Feeding Ground, Mentor, or Resources merits are all assets. Feeding Ground and Resources are 'static assets', while Retainer, Ally, and Mentor are 'dynamic assets' (because they move around). Atmosphere: A mutable condition that affects extended dicepools in off-screen actions within a Territory. Control: One of the methods for defining your Assets. Retainers and Allies must be defined as Blackmailed, Bribed, Blood-Bound, or Bullied. Crisis: A conflict rated from 1 to 5 as an issue that must be solved to control, or maintain control of, a Territory. Domine: IC term - One whose Influence is fed by another's. IE: Eric is Pam's Domine; Pam is Eric's Proxy. Downtime Hours: A pool of ephemeral 'free time' that is spent for off-screen actions including hunting, maintenance, and primacy actions. Exploit: What a character is searching for when they want to cause a crisis in a Territory. Exposure: The risk of being seen. Failing to meet the Exposure Threshold for an action means that word gets around about the action. You can try to cover it up afterward, but you'd best be quick about it. (See Action -> Exposure) Face: A measure of respect and control of a Territory. Each Kingpin has a level of Face for each territory they control. Face is lowered by the level of any Crisis. Influence: A secondary system for Hardcore players that determines their value to the Kindred as a driving force in the mortal world and can be used to gain benefits for off-screen actions. See also Proxy and Domine. Investigation: An action taken in downtime to look into events or people. Investigation is always rewarded in iterations of three successes. Kingpin: The figure or organization in charge of a Territory. Primacy Action: Any action taken to gain or remove control of Assets and Territory. Only Hardcore Players may take Primacy Actions. Primacy Actions include Destroy, Coerce, and Defend. Proxy: IC term - One whose Influence is subordinate to another's. IE: Pam is Eric's Proxy; Eric is Pam's Domine. Ghouls are automatically Proxied to their regnants. Territory Traits: Interactive and Reactive statistics that help to define a territory. Information/Awareness (Mental), Safety/Access (Physical), Prestige/Stability (Social), and Bloodpool. Upkeep: Time paid to ensure the health and use of assets and status. See Downtime.